First-time buyers · Minnesota
Taylor is based in Eden Prairie and works with first-time buyers across the Twin Cities and the rest of Minnesota — Minneapolis, St. Paul, the suburbs, and the towns beyond the metro. Here is how buying works in Minnesota, what help exists, and what to do first.
Where buyers are looking in Minnesota
Licensed statewide in Minnesota — these are just the areas that come up most. Any address in Minnesota works.
Down payment help in Minnesota
Minnesota Housing's Start Up program is built for first-time buyers (anyone who has not owned a home in the last three years). It pairs a Minnesota Housing first mortgage — conventional, FHA, VA or USDA — with down payment and closing cost loans: a Deferred Payment Loan with no monthly payment, repaid when you sell or refinance, or a Monthly Payment Loan with a small payment alongside the mortgage. Income and purchase-price limits apply by county, and a homebuyer education course is part of the deal.
Taylor · Loan OfficerBuying in Minnesota, specifically
Minnesota property taxes vary a lot by city and school district, and they are a big slice of the monthly payment — often the difference between two otherwise identical houses. Taylor pulls the actual tax figure for any address before you write an offer, so the payment you see is the payment you get.
Buying in a Minnesota winter is normal — but roofs, grading and air conditioning are harder to inspect under snow. Build the right contingencies into the offer; your agent and Taylor coordinate so the financing timeline matches the inspection timeline.
Large parts of Minnesota outside the metro core are USDA-eligible — many commuter towns included. If you are flexible on location, $0 down may be on the table. Taylor can check any address against the eligibility map in seconds.
Loan programs for Minnesota first-time buyers
The workhorse of home financing — flexible terms, competitive costs, and down payments as low as 3% for first-time buyers.
Learn more →The first-time buyer favorite — 3.5% down, friendlier credit requirements, and forgiving guidelines for real-life finances.
Learn more →For those who served — $0 down, no monthly mortgage insurance, and some of the strongest terms in all of lending.
Learn more →$0 down for homes in eligible smaller communities across Minnesota — far more towns qualify than buyers expect.
Learn more →Minnesota all have real down payment help — Minnesota Housing programs can put thousands toward your down payment and closing costs.
Learn more →Six myths busted and the six-step path from first text to keys — the page to read before anything else.
Start here →How it works from Eden Prairie
Text, phone, video, secure document upload, and a closing at a title company near you. Your real estate agent and Taylor talk directly at every milestone — offer-day numbers in minutes and a call to every listing agent included.
Timing varies by file and depends on receiving complete documentation. Turnaround figures are typical, not guaranteed. This is not an offer to enter into an agreement; not all customers will qualify. Rates, programs and terms are subject to change. All loans subject to credit and property approval.
Minnesota first-time buyer questions
Minnesota first-time buyers can use conventional loans with as little as 3% down, FHA with 3.5% down, VA or USDA with $0 down for eligible buyers, and Minnesota Housing's Start Up program, which adds deferred or monthly-payment loans for down payment and closing costs to a Minnesota Housing first mortgage.
As little as 3% on a conventional loan, 3.5% on FHA, or $0 on VA and USDA loans for eligible buyers. Minnesota Housing assistance may cover some or all of the down payment and closing costs for eligible households.
First-time buyers — generally anyone who has not owned a home in the past three years — who meet the program's income and purchase-price limits for their county and complete homebuyer education. Taylor checks eligibility as part of every first-time buyer pre-approval.
Yes. Taylor Kranz is licensed in Minnesota (NMLS #2093249) and is based at Fairway Home Mortgage's Eden Prairie, MN branch.
Minnesota buyers
After that it's just a conversation. Text Taylor what you're wondering about buying in Minnesota — tonight is fine.
Applications happen on Fairway's secure site — never here.
